#particularly characters who think they're doing the selfless thing or are trying to or have convinced themselves they are

[antique-symbolism]

I think I was doing something kind of interesting with vampires in CCGCCL/ABFHMM and I miss working on it

[skynapple]

Madi Caught Slipping: aka "How Jeremiah falls for every character in the book"

Scroll to find your favorite characters. Some are kinda crack ships. Have fun.

The girls:

Tara: This one's easy. They caught each other's eyes through MC and Xavier. He's at Xavier's place, they met in a common area. Jeremiah is trying to be a good wingman but he knows better than to use old tactics of flirting with MC on purpose to make Xavier act out in jealousy, he can do that when the trio is alone. That day he directed his attention to Tara, some small talk and flirting, maybe slung an arm around her shoulder to drag her to get a bucket of ice or anything for the other two to be alone. But she's adorable and he thinks, what the heck, a date won't hurt. She's pretty, and again, it's a good excuse for causing more circumstances to fall into place. The last thing he expects is to fall in love but it doesn't take much. She's earnest, tightness, selfless, and sweet. And look, who else is he going to gossip about Xavier and MC with? Good luck, Jer. Crystals in his pockets. He doesn't believe in any of her witchy stuff but doesn't mind it if it helps her feel like she's connecting to him or keeping him safe somehow. His religion he feels doesn't really affect it, he's only semi religious anyway. Cute planned dates. Flowers on her desk. Starts carrying some things of her recommendations in the shop. It's an easy, refreshing, comforting, and syrupy sweet relationship. Like two kids giggling in a pillow fort.

Jenna: This one's not easy. But, she's Xavier's "Captain" which, ok, Xavier is Jeremiah's "Captain" so there's the good soldier dynamic. There's a chance -depending on how Infold wants to play it- that Jenna and Jeremiah have a already met. It may be through Backtracker work, anti-Onychinus logistics, Jeremiah's research, something. If they have, it's an easier door. Either way, all they do is talk logistics and mission stuff to begin with. Then it's random small talk. Jenna is fun, and always thinking of others. There's a sense of "we're in this together" that bridges a gap. Maybe he senses that she's overworked. Maybe he hears from Xavier that they lost a hunter on their team. He sends her flowers. Then just keeps sending her flowers so she always has something to brighten her day, because he feels some compassion for the stress she's under, and secretly he's grateful that someone else is looking over Xavier. It's a slow burn. It's dependable, and sweet, and then it's a strong. They're a candle that keep others going, just trying to make it another day, but they keep that candle burning together.

MC: See Budding Romance. Anyways. This one really only works if like, MC has eyes interacts with him a lot more than Xavier. Because Jeremiah is always realistically going to be putting Xavier's needs first? And he really has shipped those two for centuries. He's probably absolutely had it up to here with them (imagine I am gesturing to something really tall for the metaphor.) But it also only works if he realizes he's loved her, because he has to get past a sense of 'She's Xavier's but I want her too.' It also only works if Xavier's holding back a bit, like he senses there may already be something going on between them? If he's confusing MC and she gets comfortable with Jer enough, then maybe, maybe. OR, she is just a version of MC who just doesn't have interest in pursuing Xavier at all, similarly to the MC's that end up with literally any other love interest, this MC would just... be particularly inclined towards Jeremiah to begin with, regardless of meeting Xavier first. Which, Jer would still have to get past whatever he's going to deal with, but once they're together, God. The manic things I've thought.

The way he's loved her for centuries, even if platonically before, to stay at her side in unwavering devotion for centuries, to abandon everything he knows on a chance of saving her, being her second-in-command, probably being the one to hold her tears when she could've easily felt very alone. He knows MC inside and out, TOO. And I think it would be very easy for him to want to slip back into a sense of companionship and want to by her side in any capacity of her life. Jer needs to feel attentive and needed, and I think it would be easy to want to stay by "his commanders" and "his Queens" side purely out of loyalty, and maybe... there's a sense of: It's always been me, I don't want it to be anyone else.

Yvonne: This one's funny. It definitely has to be a coincidental meeting. Jer's not going to any hospitals anytime soon. They have to meet outside work before, either on accident or she's a patron of his store, something like that. But the energy, please. She's beautiful, snarky. He can get behind that. She's also probably overworked. It's easy for him to be a sounding board, listen to all the gossip, or the frustration of incompetent patients. It's easy for him to be a comfort, patients get under your skin sometimes no matter how high the walls. Losing patients is never easy but god if Jeremiah hasn't been used to losing people all the time. It's easy for him to go along with antics. Prank bouquets to unwitting hospital members. And maybe if he's comfortable, he's appreciating that he actually knows a nurse. He teaches her how to care for Philosian differences in physiology, because there's probably things that are different and things he's had to DIY. Oh she'd absolutely shred him an earful if she finds out he's doing something stupid post-Wanderer hunting excursions. He absolutely makes her vision of beautiful custom scrubs come true.

Talia: Lord, Jeremiah as her nth husband? Sure. She's definitely ordering a lot of flowers to pester at Rafayel. Or she's getting flowers for her nth wedding. Maybe Wedding Planner style, it doesn't work out, but hey that florist is kinda--. And honestly, Jer probably picks up on some things. She's not from around here, neither is he. There's a certain vernacular Lemurians use, and there's a vernacular Philosians use. Maybe it's easier to tell earlier on. Kinda like Hispanics and Filipinos can immediately just pick each other out of a crowd. (Source: Is Hispanic). So there may be some companionship in, hey we're not here by choice, something drastic happened. And she's,,, way older century-wise probably, but he's not actually young, and they both have the bodies of a twenty-something. It's fine. They probably can find things to relate to. Old stories, old myths, old movies, old music. It's nostalgic and sweet. Maybe she likes the fact that he's not going to die, unlike her previous human boyfriends.

---------------

the boys:

Xavier: I could write a book but. Just the constant companions and devotion. The loyalty. The "I'm with you to the end" and the fact that Jeremiah was someone he immediately told everything about MC. How, despite Xavier's jealousy, he still depending on him to look after MC and still needed him. Honestly, Xavier needs Jeremiah a lot more than I think he lets on. Vice versa. Xavier wasn't there for him when Jer lost the love of his life, and unlike Xavier's who reincarnates, he's never getting her back. It's a very permanent grief that Philosians seldom had to deal with. I'm sure Xavier feels a sense of regret. At the same time, it just makes Jer more fiercely loyal. I said it above, he deeply needs to have a sense of duty. He desperately needs to be needed by Xavier, to be ordered around and feel like he's contributing. He doesn't want to let him down, and he desperately doesn't want him to ever go through what he has. They know mostly everything about each other. They do love each other, already, so much. It doesn't take much. One or both could've already questioned things. Or they're in a universe where MC already chose someone else, so it's a matter of comfort and redemption and trying to let Xavier heal and grow into someone independent of MC. Also. I think about the fact that in CANON Jeremiah specifically made sure that he brought Xavier's favorite flowers with them from Philos and if that's not love I don't know what is. In this essay I will---

Zayne: This one is the most crack to me because again. Jer and medical staff? Probably not going to mix. They must meet at an outside time and place. Jer can't know Zayne's a doctor until later. It definitely has to be a universe where MC is pursuing someone else, but that may not stop Zayne from buying her flowers? Especially if she's not dating other guy yet, and on her birthday, something like that. So they could meet at the flower shop. It's not love at first sight, it can't be. Jer gets him with sweets. He uses one of Bella's old recipes maybe when he's mourning her death's anniversary? Zayne has plenty of loss experience. He's just a customer that day but he takes comfort in letting out the story a little bit. Zayne makes a recommendation. Jer makes him something else to thank him for his patronage. Its just sweet sharing back and forth until they actually decide to go somewhere after work. Not a date. They're too manly for that. Both assume the other is friend zoned. The crowd is banging through the floorboards at these two. Jer baking a lot, Zayne eating and tending to Wanderer wounds. Very slow but, comforting and sweet. Pun intended. Cause that's what it would be. They heal each other in more ways than one.

Rafayel: If I speak- ok. Listen. Talia or fans still is ordering a lot of flowers for Rafayel. Jer gets used to dropping them off. He knows Rafayel is probably hiding something, again, vernacular, however I've seen Rafayel tends to hide his better. But those muscles are way too toned for Rafayel to be some random painter. Pls. I know too many art majors. Jeremiah making Rafayel clothes. Because he's talented (hello Lumiere costume) and can definitely do some cool stuff (fireproof, effect stuff). Also, Jeremiah like,,, is on the dark web scouring for content for stuff to build ship parts and also keep an eye on wayward Backtrackers. There's no way he doesn't know Rafayel's wanted. Maybe he helps take care of it. You know Lemurians and debts. Idk. Just lots of snark. Lots of trying to take care of each other. Cooking together. Maybe even fighting together. Jeremiah being weirdly assertive with Thomas, a la "He said no pickles" style. Again, very easy to slip into a loyal companion mode. Very easy. Plus like. It's a very, very acts of service relationship. They squabble a bit but only cause they care. Also, same dynamic as Talia, they've been around a long time, they'll be around a long time from now. There's comfort in that.

Caleb: If Maverick himself is alive somehow, it either comes through mutual connection like MC wanting to introduce her "brother" or Caleb maybe stalking out people in "his sister's" life. So honestly he may have met him at a party. Its a work party. Everyone gets a plus one. MC brings Caleb, Xavier brings Jer. I have a hc Jer is a hopeless drunk, but nothing happens at this party cause earth beverages from what we've seen with Xavier don't honestly have much effect. Unless... Caleb himself gets.. yeah. Maybe he retaliates that MC is showing Xavier a lot of attention when he's s'posed to be the date. Fine. Two can play at this game. He goes after Jer. Sloppy kiss. Jer would be... admittedly weirded out, and probably more concerned about the guy. Next day some kind of humiliated apology at the flower shop spurred on by MC. But Jer's soft, and sweet, and kinda teasing. Oh no god help Caleb. They might bicker a lot, but they both care about MC and later on each other deeply. They might just start hanging out for the sake of it. But they both have soldier's hearts, and are protective people. They become protective of each other. Jer starts watching the sky scanners, keeping up to date on any relevant threats. Secret information passed along through a channel Jer engineers. Caleb frantically watching his watch that's connected to Jer's when he assumes Jer goes wanderer hunting. Fishing trips, cooking. Arcades. Nostalgic movies. Somehow they have synergy. Somehow.

Nero: Jer's an alien so that's cool. Honestly, I wonder if they already know each other. Not in person? But online? If Jeremiah's ever submitted anything for private analysis and Nero's the wanderer expert. He might've been connected just through accessing Xavier's portal to the deepspace organization. They start meeting in person to trade stuff. It's very secretive. Nero catches him out and about. Doesn't recognize him, couldn't possibly begin to, but he knows that voice anywhere. And oh no Jer's beautiful. He starts doing his own investigation. Shows up at the flower shop once he's sure, and slides him something only they would know. Jer's incredibly impressed. Wants to hang out more. They talk nerdy, and honestly it's probably worse the more Nero knows. Like, you mean there's alternate timelines and dimensions? You mean you can pull a sword out of your arm, too? You mean this metal is from another planet? You mean there's even more wanderers? You fell through a black hole?? Just on and on. Jer doesn't mind the obsession, it's nice to be open and talk about home. It starts as just kinda friendly besties but they grow to actually care about each other. Maybe they worry about each other somehow. They definitely try to outdo who does more for who. It's very relaxed, and not constrained. They don't have to be together all the time, it's comfortable.

Thomas: Again, something to do with deliveries to Rafayel. He starts being around. Maybe Thomas contacts him to do an event and Jer is just? Helpful? A nice guy? Hey Thomas looks like he needs a drink, that's all. Or maybe Thomas forgot something, requires Jer to back and like. They just?? Talk? For a long time. That kind of comfort bond builds first. Jer is easy to talk to. Jer's also like, nice and insistent enough if he finds out Thomas is an artist like, insists he wants something from Thomas specifically and wants to trade for some kind of arrangement. Well how about a drink? It's just relaxed and comfortable. This is a relationship Jer might withhold some of the aliens from outer space stuff a little longer, just until he's more sure of things and outcomes. But it's easy, and he likes hearing the stories. Thomas tries to paint what he thinks Philos looks like based on his descriptions. Jer cries. Jer cultivates a specific type of rose after Thomas. It's very luxurious type of relationship. Doesn't have to be money consuming but. Museums. Botanical gardens. Whiskey nights. Private lounges. Jeremiah makes him a custom suit. Just a lot of gift giving back and forth.

Greyson: Like Zayne, there has to be some circumstance outside of work. But Madi you wrote that for Yvonne too. AND I'M SAYING IT HAS TO. But if it doesn't for some reason, let's say Jer overdoes it, gets kinda beat up, some citizen finds him and he gets dragged to a hospital. You know how Philosian heart beats are slower? God, imagine? Oh they think he's on his way out. Rushed to the ER. Jer just like, coming to cause maybe the sedatives don't work the same, grabbing Greyson by the wrist like, begging, desperate, Don't hurt me. And oh no. Deepest shade of blue eyes on pools of hazel that are desperate. He might break. He doesn't want to become a science experiment. Ok that's dramatic. YEAH. Like does he break out of the hospital? Does Greyson flip out and have A Moment™️ with the other surgeons in the room? This is literally what Jer's been dreading for 200 years he's shaking he's terrified inside but he's also a soldier. He bites down that fear and idk maybe gets out of there. He thinks he's safe. Freaking runs into Greyson at a cafe or something super what-are-the-chances. And before Jer can run Greyson grabs him like, hol' on a second. ANYWAY. I'm just saying. It has to be dramatic or super mundane, for it to work. But if it does work out (somehow) then its. Cowboy and Alien. Jer is very doting, he can get to Greyson's cheesiness level. Who can outfluster who? who will survive? Dad jokes. Tormenting friends. Prank wars. Teaching Greyson to bake. He thinks he'll teach Jer how to ride a horse, surprise he was a Knight and already rides bareback. It's a fun dynamic.

[theflyindutchwoman]

And you're so concerned about my love life because? Because I don't want to drive around on patrol with you while you are moping about screwing this up. Look, if you like this girl, you should listen to her.

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 4.10 - Heart Beat

For a scene that is supposed to be about Tim and his relationship with Ashley, it is very interesting how it actually highlights the bond he has with Lucy… Something that is made perfectly clear with the way it parallels this moment from The Bet : 'Why do I care if Tim dates? […] You just want everyone to be happy'. (2.03) This exchange completes this scene so well, showing how this is really all about these two. How they just want the other to be happy. How she has often helped him in his relationships, how he has always listened to her and this, from the beginning. Lucy may not be particularly fond of Ashley but Tim is and that's all that matters to her. That's why she basically runs after him.

There might be a slight hesitation at first, where she realises that she might be overstepping a bit here, but she also knows that he needs to be made aware of her conversation with his girlfriend. The fact that Ashley felt more comfortable talking about her fears with her, instead of Tim, already speaks volume. And while Lucy might have joked around in the shop, I think that phone call shed a different light on the situation and made her understand that Tim didn't fully get what was going on. That what he interpreted as a dislike for Kojo is instead a fear of him. And she is so taken aback by how cavalier he is at first. I don't think she expected him to react this way. Though that is a thing with Tim : he can be dismissive but he listens. He takes the time to reflect on his own behavior so he can change it. Like when Lucy called him out for the way he treated the gardeners in the pilot or when she was upset that he was getting the credits for her hard work. And this is what is happening here, he's following that same pattern… He needed to hear this. More specifically : he needed to hear this from Lucy herself. Which makes her statement later all the more ironic.

This is really in-character for Tim to deflect a bit. But there's also a genuine curiosity when he asks her why she cares so much about his love life. They're still in this space where they're testing each other in some ways. It says a lot that he doesn't even think of biting her head off for interfering in the first place, like he used to. They are so far passed that. And it is a very good question… One she asked herself after setting him up with Rachel. And yes, this is who she is : she wants the people around her to be happy. But this is different. We have yet to see her set up anyone else on a date or try to help them mend their relationship the same way. Even when Jackson was having issues with Sterling, she simply offered a shoulder to cry on. That little extra is reserved for Tim, and Tim only. That's what makes this parallel so good in my opinion. Because he himself didn't even question it back then. But now that things are changing between them, he is. Their hug, that almost-kiss, their blatant flirting at work… The fact that he needed her at his side when he confronted his father… This is all adding up and there's an awareness that is starting to grow… But what makes this parallel even more special, is how it underlines their selflessness. They have always helped each other in their respective relationships, regardless of their opinions and feelings. The other's happiness is what matters to them. Even here, it's hard to know whether Lucy is aware of her own feelings for him at this point, but either way, she simply sets them aside to help him - consciously or not.

And like I said earlier, her advice is full of irony : 'if you like this girl, you should listen to her'. Because he does already follow this to the letter… with HER. She is the one person he always listens to. The one that makes him want to be better. Tim being offended at her implication that he mopes is downright hilarious - especially in light of season 5a. Her little smirk when she walks away… His epic eye roll… The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[coraniaid]

A random ask if you're up for it: what's a terrible take about the Buffyverse you've seen on tumblr but have not yet publicly kvetched about?

I'll be honest: this question prompted a moment of minor panic on my part because my very first instinct was to say something like "hmm, no, I don't think I've ever seen a bad take about Buffy on here I've not immediately complained about". Which is an admission that, were it accurate, should probably prompt rather more introspection on my part than I'd enjoy.

Thinking about it though, I don't think that is really true. In fact, I probably don't say anything negative about most of the bad Buffy takes I see, either because they're not particularly widespread (I try not to publicly disagree with other people's headcanons or even argue against popular posts if it would be obvious who I was responding to) or because they're about characters who I just don't talk about on here at all (either because I don't find them interesting or because my understanding of them is so at odds with the wider fandom's we'd be talking at cross-purposes).

(Or, sometimes, I don't say anything negative because I'm too busy enthusiastically reblogging the post in question, if we're being brutally honest about what counts as a "bad take".)

One concrete example I don't think falls under those headings and which I don't remember complaining about before is the way people talk about Buffy's speech in Selfless. Now, I'll be honest: I don't really like Selfless that much. It's in the top half of Season 7 episodes for me, possibly even the top third, but that's a pretty low bar. But what I do like a lot are Buffy/Faith parallels, and this episode has a big one in Buffy's speech towards the end of the episode:

At some point someone has to draw the line and that is always going to be me. You get down at me for cutting myself off, but in the end the Slayer is always cut off. There's no mystical guidebook; no all-knowing council. Human rules don't apply. There's only me. I am the law.

Obviously this reminds the audience of Faith's similar speeches in Season 3's Consequences, when she tells Buffy that the two of them are "better" than ordinary humans and then later that "you know I'm right. You know in your gut we don't need the law. We are the law."

We obviously aren't meant to agree with Faith in Consequences. (The fact that she follows this speech up by almost immediately defecting to work for the Mayor, commiting at least one cold-blooded murder, having a sobbing emotional breakdown where she begs somebody to kill her and then turning herself in to be judged and punished by the very human laws she sneered at earlier is something of a clue.)

A lot of people point out the parallel but then try to explain that what Buffy is saying is actually substantially different from Faith, and that Buffy is right while Faith was wrong. in Myth, Metaphor and Morality Mark Field (who I don't think is actually on Tumblr, technically, but who I'm referencing to avoid talking directly about the many people on Tumblr who agree with him) ties this in to the wider themes of Season 7, and describes the difference between Buffy and Faith as being that Faith is trying to avoid responsibility (for accidentally killing Allan Finch) while Buffy is taking responsibility (for doing what has to be done and killing Anyanka).

And yes, Buffy is doing something different to Faith here. She is not trying to say that she doesn't have to be accountable. She is not making excuses for her own mistakes or bad behaviour. She is trying to do (what she perceives as being) the right thing.

But Buffy is wrong as well. She is proved wrong within this episode. She doesn't have to kill Anya: in fact, she fails to kill Anya (indeed, given what we see of vengeance demons in The WIsh and in Older and Far Away I don't believe Buffy could possibly have killed Anya, but I know that vengeance demon lore is even less rigorous than vampire soul lore). The problem of Anya being a vengeance demon is resolved, not by Buffy, but by the people she was giving her speech to. The people who she was arguing didn't have a say.

Buffy is wrong, too, within the show's established lore. There is a mystical guidebook (even if her Watcher didn't have her read it), and there is a Council (even if they're far from all-knowing, Buffy could have been making use of their resources ever since she asserted her importance to them in Checkpoint, but she chose not to do this). And Buffy isn't alone. (At least Faith got the number of Slayers right in her speech!)

And Buffy is also wrong in terms of the wider season arc. Season 7 is not about Buffy saving the day by heroically taking all the world's burdens on to herself and making all the decisions. Her attempts to beat the First this way end disastrously; cutting herself off from her friends and her family and the very the Potentials she's trying to protect.

(Yes, the climatic scene in Empty Places is poorly written, but the season does very deliberately have Buffy fail to establish any sort of rapport or connection with the Potentials and spend less and less time with her friends. Buffy isn't blameless for those relationships falling apart, even if having her friends and sister kick her out of her own house is absurd.)

Instead of being the lone voice of judgment, Buffy beats the First and saves the world by not isolating herself. By working with her friends; by realizing they can do things she can't; by sharing her power with the Potentials (because "my power should be our power"); by reconnecting with Faith; by accepting help from Angel and from Spike; and by realizing that the people who "made up the rules" for Slaying thousands of years ago made a mistake.

The whole point of Chosen is that it is a refutation of the vision of being a Slayer that Buffy outlines in this episode.

Quoting it uncritically as if it sums up who Buffy is as a person is like, well, using Andrew's speech about "the Dark Slayer" to describe Faith. (Which ... oh, yeah, people also do.)

[kyouka-supremacy]

Atsushi for the ask game.

ATSUSHI HERE WE GO THANK YOU FOR HEARING MY PRAYERS

Favorite thing about them: HIS SELFISHNESS. It's so so delicious to explore. Can you imagine a protagonist that saves others not out of simple good will, but because of egoistic self-preservation motives? It just feels counterintuitive for me lmao, and I found it quite messed up when I first watched the anime, but now it's so compelling to explore. His whole “everything I do is in order to gain the right to live” is crazy fashinating. Because lol, that's entirely nonsensical to me! There's no such thing as “gaining the right to live”; all humans, every person in the world is inherently deserving of life. All. No exception. So there's no level of “weak” or “worthless” that would make you lose that right. The fact that's it's a vision so distant and absurd from mine, idk, it just makes it very compelling to explore? “What if there was a little fucked up guy who believed the right to live had to be earned” just sounds like a very interesting premise.

Least favorite thing about them: When I first watched the anime, I think I found him low-key annoying? I just... Don't do very well with self-deprecating people and people who complain a lot in general, I usually suffer in silence and tend to (wrongly) assume others should do the same (this probably makes me sound pretty mean, I swear I try to be understanding irl). However, it doesn't bother me as much anymore, I simply think it's more of a distinctive trait of the character that makes him multilayered and unique. As of now, I can't think of anything I don't like about him if not the fact that I wish he'd rely on Dazai and others in general a little less. I know that has to do with his lack of self-worth, so maybe it makes sense,, but as of now he feels kind of stuck. I just wish we'd see him grow more on that front.

Favorite line:

There may be better ones, but I really like the delivery of this one.

brOTP: KYOUKA AND ATSUSHI they make me go insane. Already talked about this in the Kyouka post but just to reiterate: in my headcanon Kyouka really is the only person Atsushi feels genuine, selfless affection towards. It's very sweet. They're siblings. Kyouka's happiness is really important for Atsushi. They really do have that feeling of people who got out of an abusive environment learning what normality is supposed to be like together. I also really like how they compensate for what the other lacks, be it decisiveness and coolhead for Atsushi and empathy and positivity for Kyouka. Although plenty shipping them romantically, I really like platonic sskk and atsulucy as well.

OTP: I really like sskk eheh. I think they're neat. There's a thousand and one reasons why I find them pretty great. They're objectively the only reason why I got invested in bsd as well as the only thing that has me keep up with the franchise to this day. Right now, I feel like the one thing I really appreciate about them is how you can be the worst person in the universe and still somehow be loveable to someone. I think it's sweet. I also find it very fun and enterataining to explore their various soulmatism antics. They're both very complex and multilayered characters with something deeply wrong with how their minds work that makes them very fun to analyze both by their own and in the complexity of their relationship. Their collective story arc and canon relationship progression is extremely engaging and nice to follow, too. I love dazatsu and atsulucy as well!! Both were ships I wasn't particularly invested when I read the manga for the first time, but really grew in me in the last six months or so. I really dig akuatsulucy as well!!

nOTP: Nothing?

Random headcanon: He really likes reading. There's some real meta-analysis to be made here I actually had written this is probably not the right place to talk about, but in a work that's all about literature, he's the character who reads.

Unpopular opinion: He's the hardest character to write / characterize. That's why people should probably go easier on other fans when they mischaracterize him. He's just very multifaceted and genuinely hard to get. I keep seeing people being like “Stop babyfying Atsushi he's an independent adult!!” then turn around to say “he can't be shipped with Dazai because there's too much unbalance of power :// [somewhat implying Atsushi can't make free decisions for himself]”, or “Stop making of Atsushi a soft baby who never did wrong in his life!!!” then turn around to say “Atsushi is the happy puppy of the agency who gets treats and pats from everyone ^^ ” like. At least to me, a lot of people's arguments sound self-contradictory all the time; but that doesn't mean people should stop having fun and characterize the characters as they like! Just, let's stop being mean to each other and try to be a little more accepting towards others' takes, shall we? And yes that also includes letting people find Atsushi annoying if they find him annoying (although like, I've NEVER found anyone call Atsushi annoying ever, so really, what remote fandom spaces is everyone visiting? Why are you looking for clothes (good takes) at the soup store (Tik/tok I assume?) ).

Song i associate with them: Common World Domination by Pinocchio-P, HIBANA by DECO*27, Ghost Rule by DECO*27, so on and so forth.

Favorite picture of them:

Favourite panel from the manga:

Favourite illustration: Look, there's too many beautiful illustrations, I can't chose. Here's a very good one though.

Favourite illustration in the anime art style:

But also:

Favourite Mayoi card:

Send me a character?

[inke-ri]

So I had a different post up about the miraculous movie and how it wasn't perfect but - as someone who liked the series back when it was just Ladybug and Chat Noir against the world, and sorta naturally dropped it when the show started to introduce more heroes just bc it wasn't my thing - it felt nice and it gave me closure.

I was just gonna rewrite it in a way I liked better, but Jesus, whatever minor desire to pick the show back up again was very quickly snuffed out by how negative the a browse through the fandom tags felt. It's like people who like the movie are rubbing it in with a sort of arrogance, and the people who don't are almost gatekeepy with how "it's not the show" and how inferior it is bc of that. And I feel like wanting to talk about that instead.

Like. There are actual criticisms and praise going around but it gets lost in a sea of salt. It's kinda scary.

Personally, I liked it. It had some very cheesy lines, a couple scene transitions could have been better, What Have They Done To My Son, Plagg, and Adrienette's dynamic would have benefitted from a couple extra scenes (just a few tweaks showing him a little embarrassed or staring a little longer than usual in the Baddie Of The Day Montage(tm) would fix it, since I think they do a decent job of setting Marinette as special to Adrien given she's the only person we see him open up to about his mom, when we know he and Nino are friends and Nino already stated to always be there for him), to make the turning the ball invitation down + reveal hit harder, but overall it was fun. It was different.

What I truly cannot understand how this isn't Miraculous or how it doesn't really have a story. Sure, it's not The Series but in movie format, including the characterizations (they ARE different characters), but?? I feel like the core of who they are, or who they were back when the show began, still remains. Marinette still struggles with self confidence (which is in line with her season 1 self), and I particularly love how you can see how she HAS that spice bubbling underneath the surface, she just needed a push to embrace it and grow more confident (very Origins of her). Adrien is still closed off and quiet, and I love the implication that it was each other that gave them the push they needed to open up and be stronger and more social. I love how it was still Adrien's kindness that made Marinette fall for him, and Ladybug's bravery and selflessness that caught Chat Noir's eye.

Marinette is still clumsy and a little over excited, which we see in the first music, it just has a sense of WONDER to it instead of a frazzled energy like in the show, lol, poor baby. Adrien is still flirty and punny, he's still closed off, except show Adrien is trying to put up a brave face about it and trying to move on, and movie Adrien has lived with grief for longer and developed different coping mechanisms in regards to it. They're both very interesting in their own right, and I think the timing of Emilie's loss really explains the changes in him- movie Adrien is just past the meek attempts to be happy that show Adrien is still trying to do. He lost his mom and lived with an absent father for much longer than his show counterpart and it SHOWS. It's a different flavor of Adrien, but I think it's a neat choice, to have LB be the reason why he chose to open up. Show Adrien was interesting bc he chose to stand up to his dad in order to go to school, but he still felt alienated from his peers. The movie just makes that separation clearer but lets Adrien grow and hang out with his friends* and create actual bonds with them thanks to having first created a bond with Ladybug. It's a cool take on it.

I also really like what they did with Hawkmoth, though I don't think I can compare it to the show bc back when I watched it Gabriel was more or less just the absent father, mustache twirling villain that he was. This is where that * is inserted, I think the biggest change is that show Gabriel was more controlling of his son's life, and more demanding. Movie Gabriel straight up "lets" Adrien go missing for a whole night and only tries to talk to him the day after. He doesn't seem to mind Adrien spending time with his friends. He doesn't micromanage his son, though we still see hints of that control in how he talks about his designs, so its there, just a little hidden, that pride and arrogance. Again, it's a different flavor of Gabriel, but it works within the characterization of the movie and what they wanted for his character. Reminds me a bit of the Gabriel that wasn't willing to hurt Adrien (which apparently is an early series thing only, rip lmao) but was willing to go all out on Ladybug and Chat Noir.

So... yea. Maybe I'm just out of touch with the fandom and the show. Maybe it's because the characters have grown in ways I simply don't know bc I lost interest, and the modern MLB fandom understandably attaches those changes to the characters and wants to see it represented, which is valid. But tbh? I still love early MLB - not bc the "writing was better" or bc of Astruc v Zag shenanigans (are those still going? oh the war flashbacks) - just bc I vibed with the concept more. I love the show versions of these characters. And I think the movie is a different spin on them, but I think it does them justice. It has flaws, but the show also did, and I loved it anyway.

Speaking of just what I watched back then... I still think nothing in the movie tops the Umbrella Scene(tm), but I love that Ladynoir got a cute equivalent in the sparring one. I love the banter in both. I love the Adrienette moments in the show and I love how the movie expands on the inconditional trust between Chat and Ladybug, on how they're partners and always there for each other. I love Tikki in both. Show Plagg is my baby. I love what they did with Hawkmoth in both (movie and s1/some of s2). Master Fu as a cooky old man is hilarious. The cringe somehow got cringier in the movie. I think it's funny that movie Adrien gets to have his own "oh my god the second hand embarrassment, I want to cry" to balance out show Marinette lol. I love Chat still simping for LB and I love the cute little romance scenes, shipping fodder moments were always one of the strengths of the show, and we have it here in spades, so good for me.

It's just... as I said, it's different, but to me it's a love letter to the MLB that captivated me for years. It does its own thing, but I think I'm just gonna make a few tweaks in my head, mash Origins with the first half of the movie, then watch season 1 and a few select season 2 episodes, then go back to the movie to finish it up. I actually think that they complement each other quite well, even with the characterization changes, because, for example, the early seasons compensate for the movie's lack of Adrienette, while the show expands on the ladynoir side. If you use both, then the movie manages to effectively reverse the love square, allow Mari to grow past her awkward self, deal with the bits of insecurity in her that we still see sprinkled across the series, allow Adrien to stand up to and face his father, and give me a satisfying conclusion to the Hawkmoth plot and a cute little reveal.

I could go on over more talked about topics like the music (its fine. Christina inserts a certain breathlesness to Marinette that you feel Lou is trying to capture but she just can't. I got used to it tho, and Lou's voice is lovely) or the animation (gorgeous), like I did in the original version of this post, but to me what mattered most was the... For lack of a better word, the vibe of the movie. To me, it felt like a little time capsule bc it really embodies everything the fandom liked about the show during season 1 and its hiatus. I can't give it an objective score bc I think my 8.5/10 feels very biased, but I loved the nostalgia trip. I loved getting that closure. I'm still gonna go off and enjoy parts of both the show and the movie, because something something stronger together might just apply to them as well :)

[silentspectres]

I would like to know about your disaster tiefling! Backstory, current romance, what drives them, anything youd be excited to share!

thank you for indulging me! I cannot express enough that I am like a vampire in that I have to be explicitly invited to do something, so I'm grateful

This is my disaster tiefling Mercury, they're a mephistopheles tiefling rogue (assassin specifically) and they're allergic to making wise decisions

I have a hard time grabbing good screenshots from my console sometimes so a few of these are Crunchy™ but I genuinely love the range of lighting the game has that makes them go from somewhat well-adjusted looking to mostly just glowing eyes. I'll put the rest about them under a read more!

Mercury usually sticks to decisions that will benefit themself or their friends above all else (and usually not through honest means), but they've been known to freely help children with no clear end gain. They had a great time around Mattis, the tiefling child, out-conning him. It's probably the closest to playful their group has come to seeing them be playful (save around Scratch/the Owlbear), since Mercury was using it as an opprotunity to teach the kid rogue techniques that would benefit him later from someone who's been at it for quite some time. It'd be cute if they weren't such an awful influence

Mercury's backstory is admittedly not something I've been able to work out past large overtones or some general character defining events, but they're a character that likes to keep their privacy and hold things that matter to them close, so I think it works out in the long run. They were fiery and loudly defiant against the world and its cruelty when they were younger, but as they grew older and realized that the only person they could rely on was themself, they grew more cunning, quiet, carefully composed, and discarded the intense emotions that once drove them. This change most likely came from being used + discarded by a disguised devil, and they have an extreme discomfort and distrust for devils or the Infernal as a result

I like to call Mercury a mirror - they're a reflection of the general harshness the city had on them (being a scrappy tiefling with nowhere to call home), but once they're surrounded by people who offer them kindness (Wyll/Karlach/Gale particularly being huge influences) they actually almost habitually return kindness + favors to the small group close to them. Their friends are one of the only noted exceptions, though; they still don't really do great in the empathy department otherwise

I could write several pages about Mercury's romance, BUT I'll try not to ramble too long (narrator voice: this was a lie). Mercury is romancing (spawn) Astarion + their dynamic drives me up the WALL. The two of them had a weird push and pull to their early relationship - Mercury was well familiar with the song and dance Astarion was performing when he targeted them and knew he certainly had ulterior motives, but they... truthfully, between the empty meaningless void that had become their existence and the inevitable certain death they would now be facing as a result of being tadpoled, and the fact that they could never remember a single moment in their life in which they were wanted (let alone desired by someone), they didn't care. So they let him use them and they played along as coyly as he did, fully aware that the more that they got involved with him or the others the higher the chance they might end up walking away caring. Which, unfortunately, happened.

A lot of factors contributed to changing Mercury's apathy toward the group and ultimately swayed the change to caring romantically about Astarion, almost none of which was even Astarion's doing himself. It started with Wyll, who was always kind and selfless without a second thought, who willingly chose to risk losing everything against Mizora because he'd rather stand by Karlach. And Karlach herself was easy to get along with - she cared deeply and loudly about those around her and wasted no time or consideration into treating Mercury with the same warmth as she did the others. Gale, maybe surprisingly, was the ultimate catalyst, though. He had formerly been a wizard Mercury kept at the same distance as everyone, one of the companions Mercury actually thought less often about despite traveling with him among the most, before they met Elminster along the roads to the Shadow Cursed lands. Mercury is hard to sway, but a goddess telling her most devoted follower that he only stands to make something meaningful of himself by killing himself ignited some long since extinguished anger in them - anger at the gods, anger at the world, anger at the shitty hands they and these people they're around were dealt - and Mercury drunk themself to sleep that night following the realization that fuck, this anger in place of apathy meant they cared. Astarion was next to show them a little vulnerability by letting them read his scars to him (and it drives me insane thinking about the level of trust he would've reasonably have had to have in them to turn his bare back to another rogue), revealing that he is only one part of an unknown whole, and that that unknown whole could very well be an Infernal pact. And so it goes - suddenly, Mercury was in over their head. Suddenly, they cared.

They both end up stumbling through figuring what a relationship (and even the full scope of what either of them truly want) means later, when they're both forced to face the fact whatever was between them is now real (and dangerous, Mercury reasons, because to admit they want to care and be alive means they have to invite back in all the hurt it could bring - hurt they're intimately familiar with - but they can't deny that what they have is nice.) Mercury is very much a deeply touch starved person, so they offer Astarion a lot of small, quiet moments of physical intimacy like leaning against him in camp, resting their hands on his, soft touches against his face to brush against his hair, stuff that, in general, he probably has no lasting memories of ever having. In turn, Astarion offers them a quiet sanctuary - a gentle reminder - that they have others they can lean on and rely on and that they don't have to bear their burdens alone. There's a lot of push and pull in this stage of their relationship, too, but it's less about a game they're performing and more about learning boundaries, limits, and the depths that they're both willing to admit to themselves about whatever it is they have.

By act 3, Mercury has no doubts about where Astarion stands to them, and truthfully I don't think Astarion does about Mercury either, but it's a bit harder for him to think about with certain looming disaster hanging over his head. Reasonably. He sort of lashes out the closer they get to dealing with the inevitable, not in the way he's harsh, but in the sort of defensive "I feel like a cornered animal so I'm reverting back to trying to pull the strings (new strings at that!) to use/manipulate you into doing what (I think) I want because I genuinely can't believe in a kinder future for myself" sort of way. Mercury by this point can see right through him and offers a constant, steady pressure by always pointing out "If you do this, you'll have to do a lot of difficult things, are you sure you're prepared to do that?" and by the point of the crypts, it's clear he'd be really fucked up by carrying through with it now that he's had to come face to face with both what he's done and what he stands to become by taking Cazador's power, especially after finding the scroll about the other vampire masters. So Mercury stands firm and becomes his reminder that things don't have to end in bloodshed, lashing out, and bared teeth - a lesson Mercury themself was taught by the kindness (a kindness they had always lacked) their companions (now friends) never gave up on. Their relationship is stronger for it and they're genuinely good influences on each other (somehow, Astarion has become some sembalance of the voice of reason and is a good 90% of the reason Mercury has stopped doing things with no regard to their own self preservation now) and they're both extremely well adjusted partners despite the so many issues both of them have. Who would've thought the local pair of murderers are an exceptionally sweet couple???

I have rambled for far too long and I have a thousand more things I could say about Mercury but I'll spare you because it is very early in the morning, but thank you for letting me speak a little about them!! I have a playlist and a pinterest for them if anyone is seriously further curious about them and my inbox is always open for more questions but I must sleep for now

[mejomonster]

I really love how intense Fei Du is as a character in Silent Reading. Just, so many choices were made that like if you had a spectrum from "safe fluff romcom danmei lead" which was say very nice sweet CEO who's a little bit of a flirt but good natured, all the way to "danmei lead in The Complex Depths" that had like evil emperor killed millions has his lover in his basement tied up and bloody (and there's farther past that spectrum I'm sure, it's just I haven't read much past that Yet).

Then Fei Du would be a lot closer to the 2nd side of the spectrum than the first. What with the harm count he has, the enjoyment of suffering, the internal fear he'll hurt his loved ones like dad did, even aside from all that the Rich fuerdai in Silent Reading specifically are just ALL really fucked up (perhaps excluding Zhang Donglan, all the others were part of families helping the murder assassin prostitution human trafficking gambling power abuse organization and often actively participating and/or doing their own personal horrific shit). Fei Du is the lead in a psychological thriller with a killer or almost-killer as one of the leads (think Beyond Evil, Flower of Evil, Strangers from Hell). Priest made interesting and very specific choices with him. I personally like the kind of genre his type of characters often are found in, so I really loved those choices Priest made to make him.

(Luo Wenzhou is also... an intense character choice but I would say probably less risky. There's other Captain cop/detectives who think of themselves cockily as superheroes and neglect themselves to help others and have a strong sense of justice while also abusing their authority by manhandling and threatening others. His particularly specific choices in how he was made as a character shine in comparison to Tao Ran in particular. That Luo Wenzhou is extremely loving, caretaking, he has in that specific regard some traits more commonly found with heroines of caretaking romances. He's fiercely unconditionally loving like a parent, he shows his care for others by caretaking, and instead of that being at odds with his other traits it's integrated into this extremely caretaking loving emotionally mature brute of the man who's forceful but in an often understanding way, who's a dominant boss but the way a mom who nitpick and orders when giving you all your meals and yelling at you to eat enough out of concern is. He's a man who thought he was like a superhero, and had that false assumption CRUSHED prior to the events of the start of novel. Fei Dus case crushed Luo Wenzhous belief he was a superhero, made him realize he was painfully human and could fail and WOULD fail. Which ties into the whole shadow org and them being comprised of many people who the police failed to help, who suffered and blame the police who were supposed to do something anything.

Luo Wenzhou is older and that's relevant in non physical ways: its relevant in his emotional maturity, in having failed over and over and having had to learn to cope with the reality of life always being this way, of still trying illogically To be a superhero and confronting his own failure to be able to be daily but his stubbornness winning every day to try again, in learning how he dates and how he doesn't and deciding not to, in how he loves and his own blind spots but being unready to face them even though he Knows they're there. The big thing though, again, is he just cares and loves very unconditionally. Which is common enough for a selfless young heroine who believes in love and dotes on family, but a bit less common in a flawed proud police captain. Made more specifically uncommon because he pours the lions share of that unconditional love for fei du. And as much as fei du lives in this version of the world where he sees himself as a Big monster and most people as a variety of other fucked up monsters or prey who don't realize something bigger plans to eat them... to Luo Wenzhou this boy Has To Be held onto. In his world too, his world where by sheer force of will Luo Wenzhou tries to save people. Tries to make a world where you don't have to tell people to be scared of something bigger hurting them, they don't have to be in danger at all. Luo Wenzhous capacity for unconditional love is common enough in a selfless pure hero/heroine type. But to focus that unconditional love onto a character like Fei Du is much less common and to be fair not rational. But it's who he is. It's a choice made when making him. But yeah Luo Wenzhou is a more normal "mystery solving danmei" lead choice character, if he wasn't unconditionally loving the type of character he is while being the opposite of naive about it).

Anyway. All this to say. After this novel, I'm going to read Priest's Lie Huo Jiao Chou Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire. And I hope that the character choices are as interesting to me. I'm sure they'll be interesting I just... I really like the genre Fei Du's kind of character is normally in, the way those characters allow for 1. The exploration of trauma and characters who have been through so much already they Do things maybe not most people would do as it's too extreme, but which make sense for them. 2. Allow to explore the heavier side of what happens when people break. There's stories about innocent people breaking, but then theres a thriller about already broken people who Expect a fucked up world, who try to do something Anyway and then things get even More fucked up and they find a way to survive through it and sometimes even heal. (Shows that play with this a bit include: Beyond Evil, The Glory, The Guest, Flower of Evil, Strangers from Hell, Bulgasal, Killing Eve). I just particularly like the character arcs often found in those stories and hope I run into more in other priest novels. Now... I doubt I'm going to run into another almost-killer who self harms to try and condition himself Not to kill... but can ci pin and Sha po Lang have the potential for fucked up political kills and war (maybe a Nier Automata type of character arc), liehuo I'm hopeful for because an old immortal wakes up in modern era (I think) and that opens the possibility of all kinds of clashes with the modern way the world works and maybe a very different distraught world he came from (I'm imagining possibly a very Ye Zun or Shen Wei from the Guardian show type fucked up situation but with more War on screen so to speak). Anyway... I'll find out lol

[kinkymagnus]

Any favorite headcanons about Malec (as a couple or the individual people) (kinky or non-kinky) I like thinking that a good part of the reason Magnus invented the portal, is because he has an atrocious sense of direction, and he used to get lost a lot, before he could just teleport to where he needed to be. (I know they say in the show that he invented the portal together with Lydia's ancestor, but I personally think that Henry Branwell just helped him to make an anchored portal version for shadowhunter institutes to use, and that Magnus made portals for magic users that could be summoned without anchoring them in place way before then.)

For Alec, I don't actually have that many hcs. I do like to think that he has a secret sweet tooth, that he hides away out of some mistaken belief that it would make him come across as immature. (which Magnus cures him of over time, and that may involve eating chocolate sauce off his body.)

hmmm i mean that's a really broad question 🤔 for one i'm in the "they're neurodivergent kings" camp. autism/adhd solidarity. and we all know magnus is trans 😌

also i will see literally any character i relate to and go "oh is anyone gonna make that touch-starved?" and not wait for an answer so uhhhh Touch Starved Magnus. like. especially just like. god. i feel like for a long time magnus is used to mainly two types of touch: violent (aggressive, often painful, whether it's someone actively trying to kill him or just getting between people fighting or whatever) and sexual (not inherently bad, but there's a certain dynamic of wanting something from him, and the only positive touch he really gets outside of certain situations is like. through a certain lens, when he's being a certain way, especially because i feel like he's a big people-pleaser in bed, and can be a selfless lover to the point of like, it not being as good for him, you know?) that's not to say his friends never touch him, ever, but for one, being immortal, it's not like they meet up as often as mortal friends might, and two, several of them just aren't particularly touchy people and he never wanted to cross any boundaries with them . anyway what im saying is he needs hugs real bad :(

(alec provides said hugs, but also like. as he starts healing from all this past trauma and stuff he gets better at expressing these things to non-alec people as well so like!!! also with his friends!!! who may not have even known this was a problem because he's so good at hiding his own issues!!!)

also good call on the portal thing. both for henry and magnus being, ah, directionally challenged. he's insanely competent at like 99 percent of the things he does but bless him he's so bad at finding his way around. adhd king, i repeat

(and yes, henry helping out but getting all the credit. naturally. shadowhunters, amiright? not henry necessarily, but the people who gave him all the credit.)

oh alec would be more than happy to lick sweet things off of magnus 👀

[depressedhatakekakashi]

always really loved that trope where everyone has completely different perceptions on one particular character A but the general concensus is that that character isn't really good (??), but then there are these moments where one of the ensemble mentions off hand a nice thing that character A had done which doesn't really fit into their dubious reputation and your sitting there like. hm. that doesnt sound right. maybe there's more to this than what meets the eye. or maybe they're just building them up to be a three dimensional villain?

then character A finally appears after several chapters of foreshadowing and then they're just. A guy. They're not exactly as selfless as some people say they are but absolutely not as heinous as most said they would be, but they're kind and they're just struggling and trying very hard to keep it together. But no matter what they do or feel about it, they've done messed up shit in the past (usually done after being driven mad or insane under extreme suffering and torment.) and now they just want to be very very retired and repent. They're not a hero, or a villain, or somewhere in between. just a very unlucky person somehow getting caught up in ALL the horrible plot relevant events (thus being forced to make horrible decisions with no good option under extreme torment) who just so happens to be very strong. it's very human i love them <3

I have forgotten to rely on a few asks this week, which is terrible of me and I apologize profusely.

This is a top-tier, A+ content trope.

One character who's not particularly outgoing or influential (or at least tries not to be) yet somehow manages to invoke such strong feelings in others that they either hate or love them. There is no between.

Like maybe their closest friends are more chill about their view of them, but everyone else has one extreme view or the other and the character can't figure out for the life of them what they did to deserve such passionate beliefs about them.

they're just trying to live their life and everyone else is telling them that's a problem somehow XD.

I can think of a few characters who fit this trope very well, but I also just love imagining it. Like, there's just this world where a character exists, and no matter what they do everyone either loves them or hates them. Maybe they haven't made the best decisions but they're not as bad as people make them out to be, and their accomplishments are also highlighted to extreme proportions.

a good dude just trying his best.

[jess-the-jester]

The Kurumada x Alice rant

Spoilers for all of YTTD up to Chapter 3-B. It might be completely unintelligible but I have strong thoughts on these fictional characters.

I want to talk about Alice and Kurumada as a concept because although when I entered this fandom I legit had 0 ships in mind and didn't find most of the cast shippable, I am in love with these two as a pairing. But I wanna talk about them as characters and why they work so well.

Alice is a theatric man who has some degree of suspicion directed towards others and despite being a convicted murderer is also one of THE BEST people in the death game, morally. Like I love him he's just a good guy.

Kurumada is rough, and abrasive, and refuses to help when he thinks the dolls will die during the fight with Midori, but is also one of the first to actually turn around and reverse his side. He grabs Maple to kill her because he thinks he can- but also because he's protecting everyone else. If he really wanted to, he could've just killed Sou (or, in the other route, ESPECIALLY KANNA) and succeeded in his little mini game. His dialogue might lend credence to the idea that he would. But he's just a little guy that wants to help. When Ranmaru is about to die he offers to take the tag and die, knowing that Ranmaru has more to offer than him in his wounded state.

Him and Alice share violent tendencies and open aggression, with Kuru being more actually violent and Alice being more threatening in speech (Kuru really does just shake his fist at people by contrast). They're really similar, though. Big tough guys who are just softies on the inside, and I think that's why I find them so cute together. There are two ways it goes.

Or that's the space where they both sorta break down from their performance and share in actual feelings. Because they do both have them. We see Alice mourn his sister (even just when she breaks the Bongos)

Either they are perpetually postering to impress the other person which is an age old trope that i still find really funny,

and we see Kuru cry at the thought of the others being killed by Keiji (with the Midori plan).

Now there is one thing in particular I wanna highlight though, that makes this ship particularly compelling for me

In the logic route, as I'm sure most of you know, the remaining Yabasume sibling dies at the hands of a trap set by Ranmaru.

Tragedy

Who is the one to see this trap and report it?

Kurumada

If Kurumada and Alice were truly together, then Kurumada is the first one to witness him nearly dying. Kurumada is powerless to save him himself. He can hardly even walk anymore. There's a giant hole in his chest that may or may not kill him.

Kurumada has to suffer as he is unable to respond, and unable to save Alice, the others failing to get there in time.

Kurumada's actions, which have been entirely self-sacrificial up until this point, culminate as his own choice to try to kill Maple to save the others, end in his failure to save the person he has bonded the most with.

He has chosen others at the ultimate cost of himself.

Kurumada, if he is still alive, is the one to propose that the dolls are the ones placed in the coffins.

Kurumada gives up everything he has, and it is, in the logic route, simply not enough. And even when Alice lives- Kurumada's inability to prioritize himself leads instead to his own death

(Most likely)

AND BEAR IN MIND

IN HALF OF THE RUNS ALICE DIES BECAUSE HE CARED ABOUT REKO SO MUCH HE WAS ABOUT TO KILL RIO

HE WAS ABOUT TO 1V1 AN INHUMAN MURDER MACHINE OVER HIS SISTER

ALICE'S VERSION OF SELFLESSNESS IS NOT PROTECTION- IT IS VENGEANCE

WHEREAS KURU'S IS ALL ABOUT SACRIFICE

ANyway t

that's

why I think they balance each other out

And why I think they're a really sad pairing.

and alice has to watch as his roboyfriend gets turned into mincemeat when that wasn't even an established rule

guys even if you save alice kurumada still has a high chance to die and then he can also die first

and literal best case scenario where both of them live Kurumada still runs out of battery and they just get a tearful goodbye.

I just like them a lot.

[arrantsnowdrop]

Young Love - Lucien x Reader (fluff)

Fanart by janarunneck on Instagram

Summary: Reader is Tamlin's younger cousin and realizes they're Lucien's mate after he flees from the Autumn Court

Warnings: mentions of violence (when Lucien/Tamlin kill Lucien's brothers)

Word Count: 1,500

A/N: Something shorter and fluffy for all the Lucien fans :) Enjoy!

You knew Lucien was your mate the day you met him, from that first moment when he stumbled into the manor of the Spring Court seeking your older cousin after fleeing from his sadistic family. You’d known he was your mate as you and Tamlin consoled him, grief-stricken with the loss of Jesminda, and welcomed him into your home. The mating bond had snapped into place almost instantaneously for you, leaving you reeling in place as Tamlin tried his best to console his frantic friend.

But it was too soon, far too soon for talk of such things with Lucien, who was aching with the loss of his lover, family, and home. And so you kept it to yourself, offering Lucien a shoulder to cry on or an ear to vent to, accompanying him on walks and occasionally leaving baked goods and fruits outside his door. But you never dared to go farther than that, resigning yourself to a century or so of longing.

That century was cut short, however, when the bond clicked for him a few months later.

When Lucien’s brothers came to kill him you’d wasted no time helping Tamlin and Lucien, going so far as to hold one of the brothers down while your older cousin slit his throat.

“Are you watching?” Tamlin sneered to the one brother you kept alive. He was gagged and tied to a chair - it was Tamlin’s idea to force him into watching the mess you made of his siblings.

“He’d better be,” you replied for him, stepping over a body on the floor to help a bloodied Lucien to his feet.

“What do you want us to do with him?” Tamlin asked, gesturing to your terrified hostage.

“Let him go,” Lucien replied, in a voice much darker than you’d ever heard from him. “I want him to tell my father what we did.”

In the morning, after Tamlin had left to get rid of Lucien’s brother, you had tasked yourself with cleaning up the mess left in your cousin’s study. Blood and broken furniture were rather off putting, and you didn’t want Alis to have to deal with that.

Lucien had appeared in the doorway a few hours later.

“How are you feeling?” you asked him from your place on the floor. You’d spent the last ten minutes trying to scrub a particularly large stain out of the carpet, with no avail.

“Have you been in here alone this whole morning?” Lucien asked, ignoring your question completely.

“The room needs to be cleaned, and I told the housemaids to let me take care of it,” you said with a shrug. “They don’t handle stuff like this well.”

“You still shouldn’t have to clean it by yourself,” he frowned, stepping into the room and grabbing a spare rag from the stack you’d brought in with you.

“Oh, Lucien, really there’s no need-”

“I’m helping,” he stated dismissively, kneeling down next to you. “I’m responsible for this mess, anyways.” You shook your head. “It was your brothers’ faults, not yours. They came and sought you out.”

“I still…killed them,” Lucien said softly, as if he was still processing what had happened. You nodded slowly, placed your hand gently over his and patted it comfortingly.

“Well, I hate to be that person, but they deserved it,” you said. “But the fact that you’re feeling upset about it, after everything they did to you, tells a lot about your character.” “Does it?” Lucien asked, turning to you with glossy eyes. “What does it tell?”

You gulped, trying to think of the right words to reassure him without giving away too much of yourself. “Lucien, you’re one of the kindest and most selfless beings I’ve ever met. You’re always doing things for others, you’re always coming with Tamlin and I to help the lesser fae in the forest. You think the best of everyone and only harbor ill feelings towards those who deserve them, I mean, really you’re just fantastic-”

In your rambling you failed to notice the way Lucien’s eyes widened, the way his breath hitched as something became clear to him that you already knew.

“-and you shouldn’t even think for one second that last night makes you any less good, or less kind, because this is the one time you’ve ever fought back or sought any semblance of revenge after all the things they’ve done for you. And you deserved none of it-”

Lucien wrapped his arms around you, pulling you to him in a crushing hug. You gasped, shocked, and wordlessly moved your arms to his shoulders, holding him against you.

“Thank you,” he managed, and you realized he was crying. “Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me,” you said gently, resting your forehead against him. “I’m just telling you the truth.”

“Can I tell you something I just realized?” he mumbled, resting his head against the top of yours. You nodded. “I think you’re my mate.”

Your eyes widened, and you pulled back to look up at him. “Lucien, I-” “Y/n,” he whispered, taking your hands in his. His brow furrowed. “Did…did you already know?”

You looked down, bit your lip, and nodded slowly. “I’ve known since the first day you were here.”

“Y/n-”

“I’m no Jesminda,” you interrupted, looking back up at him. “And I know you might want nothing romantically right now, and that’s fine, but I will always, always be here for you in whatever role you need-” Lucien cupped your face in his hands softly, and your words died on your lips.

“I am honored,” he said, voice thick with emotion, “honored to be your mate.”

And as those things typically go, the next few days were spent tucked away in Lucien’s room, exploring each other’s lips and bodies and talking about every little piece of your lives you could think of in between the incessant fucking brought on by the acceptance of a mating bond. It was inspiring, really, how little you’d managed to get done in the past week and a half.

“We should do something,” you said, rolling over to gaze at a naked Lucien, basking in the sunlight on top of the bed. He opened his eyes, turning his head to give you a lazy smile.

“Yea?” he replied. “What should we do, my love?”

You grinned, closing your eyes and relishing in the sound of his endearment. “I dunno, maybe just a walk around? See if anything has changed in the last week?”

“Can’t we just stay here?” Lucien whined, scooting closer to you. He trailed one hand up your arm slowly, rubbing small circles as he went.

“Lucien, we’ve been here for days,” you giggled. He smiled, bit his lip and closed his eyes, as if he were committing the sound to memory. His hair was a brilliant shade of red in the sunlight streaming through the window. It was around noon, you realized, though you had no idea what day of the week it was.

“Please,” you drawled, half-begging. Lucien sighed, smile still on his lips.

“Fine,” he relinquished. “But let’s make it snappy, I want to be back in this bed in an hour, tops.”

You giggled, thanking him before launching yourself off the bed to find some clothes to wear. You slipped on one of Lucien’s shirts and the pair of pants you’d discarded on the ground a week ago, turning back to Lucien and giving him a thumbs up.

His gaze darkened as he looked you over, a lustful look taking over his face. Your eyes widened and you turned around again. “Oh no you don’t, I know what that look means and I don’t want it compromising our walk!”

“But you look so hot in my clothes,” Lucien huffed.

“Not my problem,” you teased, waltzing into the bathroom and leaving a very frustrated Lucien splayed out on the bed.

It took you two hours to get down to the gardens, detained slightly by a trip to the kitchens and what Lucien deemed an “unavoidable quickie.” But you’d finally reached your destination, setting a blanket down on the grass for you to lie on.

“This is nice,” Lucien murmured, playing with your hair while your head rested in his lap.

You hummed, eyes closed, enjoying the slight breeze. “I told you so.”

Lucien chuckled and bent down, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

“I love you, Y/n,” he murmured.

“That’s the fifth time you’d said that in the last ten minutes,” you teased, opening your eyes and tapping his nose lightly.

“I don’t think I could stop saying it if I wanted to,” Lucien replied, grinning down at you adoringly. “And I don’t want to.”

“Well, lucky for you, I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of hearing you say it,” you replied, reaching up and pulling him down for a kiss.

[a-tiny-frog-girl]

For the emoji ask game: 👊🥞🎂🍓🌙🙈🙊🙉🌌🪤🖍❇️💧☁️💗♥️💖

I have a many questions lol❤️

This is for Mars!! I love talking about her so much you don't even know 😭😭

👊 (are they quick to violence?) It would take someone hurting her friends for her to even get angry, and then she'd mostly just yell, so no lol.

🥞 (comfort breakfast?) Mars doesn't really have any type of favorite foods, but she does have a sweet tooth, so as long as it's sweet, she'd enjoy it and she'd still eat it even if it isn't.

🎂 (when is their birthday and do they like to celebrate?) Mars' birthday was not recorded because in my story, borrowers don't do human time. (semi spoilers now) However, she does know she was born in early Autumn, and the first time her birthday goes happens, she's not in a good place. So the next year the team goes all out to remind her that she's loved and to distract her, even giving her an official birthdate for fun. She does enjoy celebrating her birthday :).

🍓 (do they like fruit and veg? favorite fruit and veg?) Mars doesn't particularly like any food over another with an exception of sugary foods. She would definitely be excited to try fresh fruit and veggies, but she'd take some chocolate over it any day.

🌙(greatest wish? how far will they go for it?) I think Mars' greatest wish would just be to be enough for the people around her. She would drive herself into the ground physically and emotionally if it meant people liked her.

🙈(what part of themselves do they not want people to see?) Basically anything but what she considers perfect; which would be smart, able-bodied, agile, selfless, etc, etc.

🙊(what will they not stay silent about?) When her loved ones are mean to themselves, especially when they're straight up incorrect. She will have a literal debate with them about why they are a good person.

🙉(what is the worst thing someone could say to them?) Something along the lines of pointing out several mistakes and then saying that they or a loved one better off without her.

🌌(what inspired this oc? what was the first thing you knew about them?) I don't remember since I feel like I've known her for so long, but I remember knowing her name right at the very beginning. I think some of her first character traits were anxiety and loving space, if I can recall.

🪤 (what will always lure them into certain danger?) Loved ones in danger or loved ones telling Mars to go into certain danger for whatever reason. She would easily swap herself with any one of the people she loves if she felt that was the best way to get them home safely.

🖍️ (what advice would you give them?) I based Mars a lot on my younger self who struggled with self worth a ton. I would give her the coping mechanisms my therapist gave me and ask her to try to be kind to herself.

❇️ (what is their most prized possession? what do they value?) Two most prized possessions: Her yellow hair ribbon which was given to her by her mom when she was very small, and a green scarf knit specifically for her by a friend.

💧 (random angst headcanon) Mars' mom sort of gave up on her when she was a tween. She used to praise Mars all the time, but Mars started not being a smaller version of herself and she wasn't happy with her. Mars constantly thinks about what her mom would say or do in situations despite her being awful to Mars for years.

☁️ (random soft headcanon) Mars is INCREDIBLY curious about everything that she doesn't know. She loves learning more than anything and she is a very quick study. She could definitely be a genius with access to enough knowledge.

💗 (if they have a crush, is it noticeable? what changes?) Mars would probably go out of her way to get things for her crush and spend time with them and be too shy to touch them. Most noticeably, I think she'd be nervous talking to them even if she's known them for a while.

♥️ (their love language?) Touch!! Being in physical contact with someone makes Mars so happy and much more grounded. She actively seeks out to sit as close to her loved ones as possible.

💖 (are they a subtle or a showy lover?) Subtle because she's afraid that either she'll annoy them or they secretly don't care about her. The most showy she is would be with her trust when she decides to trust someone.

[theflyindutchwoman]

Given recent discussions in the fandom and because I’m curious to hear others’ opinion… would you want to see a Chenford breakup next season?

All right, let me start with my usual disclaimer : this is only my opinion and it has no more (or less) value than anyone else's. And this isn't meant as a personal attack either, regardless of which side of the equation you're in. I actually enjoyed reading other people's takes on this, particularly the ones who want a breakup, to see their perspective on the subject. It was truly interesting (no sarcasm).

To answer your question, dear Anon, no, I don't want a breakup. Mainly because I feel that so many shows go there, so I'm more interested in seeing Tim and Lucy navigate the ups and downs together.

One thing that attracted me to their relationship was their ability to talk to each other about everything and anything. How, despite their differences and their rocky start, they could always confide in each other… Be extremely vulnerable. And that is what I would love to see going forward. How this shorthand they've developed by working together can translate into their personal relationship. Don't get me wrong, just because they are usually good at communicating doesn't mean that it is perfect. It's not. Even before they became a couple. There are some cracks that became more and more visible as the season progressed. The theme of 'honesty' was their main thread in 5b. The storylines involving Sava & Jake or Isabel served to highlight that aspect. To emphasise how lies, deceit and miscommunication can destroy a relationship. Now it could be used as a foreshadowing… Or it could be used as a warning. Tim and Lucy already have a much stronger relationship, so I choose to believe that this could be a learning experience for them. Learn from other people's mistakes, learn from your past (in Tim's case).

Right now, those moments of dishonesty revolves around one common theme : work. Tim taking a desk job without consulting Lucy first… Lucy doing the five-player trade behind his back… Him trying to lie at first that he wasn't bored out of his mind… Her not saying anything about Primm (as far as we know)… Him not wanting to open up about his fears regarding undercover…  Those are starting to pile up and they're going to need to address it. The sooner, the better. Particularly the undercover talk. This has been a long time coming. It's clear that Tim is terrified but doesn't want to burden Lucy with this. And she can sense it. That last scene in 5.21 was (for me) a step in the right direction where they started voicing their concerns. It's nowhere near sufficient. But they stopped avoiding that topic altogether. Like I said, they can be great at communicating… But they can also be their own worst enemies. They're both selfless when it comes to the other… they're both used to do things a certain way. And now, they need to learn how to do these things together. To talk about these moments that may seem insignificant to them but isn't to the other. To stop making decisions for the other. This is quite new to them : as we've seen in the past, they didn't truly open up to their boyfriends/girlfriends. That's something they are going to have to learn together. And that's okay : this is part of the journey of being in a relationship.

Another reason why I don't want to see that is related to the characters' growth. The thing is, I actually could picture Tim breaking up with Lucy because there is a pattern here. If he got it into his head that he is holding Lucy back, an idea already planted by Noah in 5.16, then yes, it wouldn't be out of character for him to break up, thinking it's the right thing to do for Lucy. Which is not that dissimilar to what he did in 5.02 : sure, they weren't together, but it still felt like a separation. Especially since the end of that scene mirrored so well another one from 1.12… when he decided to divorce Isabel. And if you remember, that was pretty much for that very same reason : he was afraid that being with him would only remind her of her time as an addict and bring her down. So he did what he thought would help her the most and decided to divorce her. So breaking that pattern would be a tremendous character development for Tim (in my opinion). Then, there's the fact that this is something they knew would be coming up at some point. This isn't a new obstacle. The episode before they got together had Lucy go undercover. And Tim, even more so than her, knew what he was getting into when he told her that it was worth the risk. He may not have explicitly said it but the implication that she was worth fighting for was right there. So breaking up for something that they could foresee kind of negates those words. And it would play right into Lucy's insecurities. She was so hesitant because she didn't want to lose what they have. She is finally letting go of the fears that prevented her before from fully committing to a relationship… Her certainty in them is absolutely amazing. So breaking up now would hurt her so much. (I focused mostly on Tim here because I struggle to see a reason for Lucy to break up. At least, not if this is related to her career, be it undercover work or her promotion).

Now, that's not to say that it can't be executed in a beautiful way. Sometimes breaking up can help strengthen a relationship, as odd as it might seem. Sometimes it gets too much and taking a step back can offer a new perspective and a fresh start on healthier grounds. Just like sticking in a relationship at all costs can be very damaging and toxic. I mean, take a look at Lucy and Tim in their last respective relationships… They stayed well past the expiration date. But I, personally, would rather see them work this out together. See them 'fight' and argue, like they've done in the past… that very same thing they didn't do with Ashley and Chris. See them all vulnerable with each other, like they've also done in the past. I honestly think the writers could pull off the angst and drama with this storyline, without having to resort to a breakup. But again, that's only my preference :)

[malewifehenrycooldown]

Your jojo insert sounds really interesting!!!! Wanna tell us more about Taylor?? I really enjoy seeing what people do with theirs (esp if they have a stand!!!!)

You want me to talk about Taylor? Oh you’re in for a wild ride-

LONG POST AHEAD.

I'll talk about Taylor Ripley as she is in Stardust Crusaders cause that’s the only thing I can think about.

First things off Taylor is kinda of a walking contradiction in regards to her character (externally and internally). On the outside she's outrageous especially with her fashion choices and she has this 'tough girl' act to go with it. However on the inside she's actually a quiet and reserved eighteen year old who'd just trying to fit in a complicated world.

I mean she’s pretty caring and kind for the most part. In fact she’s extremely selfless and compassionate heart. She’s also very empathetic, and while a bit of a free spirit, she kinda keeps it to herself because she doesn’t like people that much but also she’s not keen on interacting with new people she doesn't know. She’s frightened of people judging her, solely on who she is and what she does. Also Taylor’s just kinda lost (metaphorically), like she just wants to have a sense of belonging, a place to find/call home even. But even then she's honestly not really sure what she's looking for though (be it place or a group to feel comfortable in). So in a way Part 3 Taylor is kinda having an internal crisis.

Her family is fine as it is, it's just that everyone is so incredibly busy and scattered across the globe as well - it's not like she can make a phone call willy nilly. They love her and she loves them but like time is mean and also BUSINESS IS REALLY BUSY-

The only real like parental figures in her life are Motoko (yeah i dropped her into this universe cause I CAN) and Holly Kujo (this is how she knows Jotaro, she's like kinda childhood friends with him).

Any who back to Taylor; I like to think the way she dresses in a Madonna-Wannabe style helps her to sort of direct her frustrations of not fitting into society into something particularly freeing and productive. Like it feels nice to wear something that makes you feel free and confident, and to her it’s like literally breaking out of her cage by dressing how she wishes. It's not a fad thing either - like sure it looks cool don't get me wrong but it's making a statement too about how some young folks feel so trapped to live up to society's standards.

Kinda on topic, but the name Taylor Ripley is kinda in reference to Taylor Momsen, Taylor Swift and the absolute badass that is ‘Ellen Ripley’ from Aliens. Look Taylor is a mish mash of a lot of things-

I guess you can pinpoint that for being the reason why she and Jotaro are just really close together. They're like two peas in a pod, if you look for one, then chances are you'll also find the other one too.

Despite the shyness, Taylor is kinda feral - like she's just this emoji: (ง'̀-'́)ง. Due to her Australian Heritage it’s kinda a given that she has an Aussie accent, and has a bad habit of slipping colourful language into normal conversations. This is also the result of 'hanging out with Jotaro Kujo too much'. Seriously like they might be two peas in a pod but goodness gracious it's a very chaotic duo and honestly it’s best not to make them both mad-

Okay so Joot and Tay’s friendship is like - kinda on the level of platonic squad goals. and yes they are a little feral, they do care about each other and are willing to help each other out if need be.

Since Taylor is a self insert, that means she has Narcolepsy (with Cataplexy, cause you might as well make some representation for yourself), and with Narcolepsy comes days and moments when she’s REALLY tired and doesn’t have the right mental state to carry out certain jobs and stuff. This is ever more obvious at school, as Jotaro recognises the signs in which Taylor is really tired, and will act appropriately to ensure that she’s okay. He mostly reminds her to take her medication and but there are times in which he will ask about if she needs to go to the med bay for a nap or something. Basically looking out for her and her wellbeing basically, because Taylor is a little forgetful and sometimes a little stubborn to the point when Jotaro has to drag her to the Med Bay to take a nap. Also like just having Jotaro around is really handy because his intimidating presence is enough to scare away bad actors and characters who could probably do harm to Taylor.

On Taylor’s end, she does sometimes keep Jotaro inline, but if there’s a situation in which Jotaro’s actions make sense (like not paying when a restaurant’s food is terrible), then she doesn’t bother to intervene and instead sits on the sidelines like a spectator. Like it’s not her business and she usually ends up agreeing with Jotaro’s side. She doesn’t really get involved in these situations unless something gets under her nerves. Oh and Taylor is really helpful when it comes to shooing away the fangirls. Now I want to stress that she doesn’t hate them. The last thing Taylor wants to do is antagonize other young women (girl hate is not okay), instead she always makes sure to be polite about it but always tells them that Jotaro is a human being with feelings and that they should probably try to get to know the real Jotaro before making assumptions. It sometimes works?? but not always, but Joot doesn’t mind the fact that Taylor actually tries to get them off his back without having to be mean and cruel about it

Basically Joot and Tay look out for each other no matter what not just because they trust and respect each other, but because their friendship is mutually beneficial to each other.

I still haven't really gotten round to a solid motive for her joining in the search for DIO, but I'm kinda leaning towards an AU of 'Taylor's family has been indebted the Joestar Line and that it's time to help them in return' or 'Taylor is worried for Jotaro's wellbeing because it's literally a race against time to save his mother’. That is something I need to play with a little more though.

ALRIGHT LET'S TALK ABOUT TAYLOR'S STAND TOKYO ROSE.

So the thing is that I'm still working on TOKYO ROSE's design, and the thing is that it's still a work in development. However, I usually describe TOKYO ROSE as a draconic like stand with rough dark blue coloured scales. It's bipedal, standing on two legs like a Wyvern and has a long tail that whips from behind. Unlike usual western interpretations of a Dragon, TOKYO ROSE has no wings, rather it has arms that end in what can be described as another dragon head (for both arms). The head in the middle is more pronounced than the ones on it’s arms, especially with the large horns on it’s head. Spikes trail down the spine of the dragon-hydra going down all the way to the tail. Each head has piercing red eyes, and the jaws are jagged like teeth - that when opened have almost shark like rows upon rows of teeth.

(Think of TOKYO ROSE as like Drogon but without wings, and has two extra heads at the end of their arms.)

I mentioned some of the inspirations for TOKYO ROSE here. I also go into slightly more in-depth of TOKYO ROSE's capabilities besides here, but I’ll just briefly talk about what it can do.

Essentially, the main two powers of TOKYO ROSE is that it can ‘breathe’ powerful long ranged energy blasts from it’s mouths. It can turn these energy blasts into elemental energy blasts as well. It’s main attack though is Arctic Cannon, which is a strong blast of energy of ice. This is the main attack because the atmosphere is full of water droplets in the air which ate drained from the surroundings into the jaws of TOKYO ROSE - that then create this powerful blast of pure unadulterated cold energy which can also freeze things too. (Basically an Ice Type version of Hyper Beam)

It’s other ability it has is regeneration. It can heal it’s limbs, wounds, etc. which in turn also heal Taylor’s wounds too. Also-

If a head is cut off (which will affect Taylor), it will regenerate, healing itself and Taylor. Because much like a Hydra, you cut off one head - two grow back. Cutting off TOKYO ROSE’s middle head will only make one of the existing heads take its place - therefore saving Taylor’s own head.

is Taylor immortal? idk that’s up to interpretation for people tbh

From a strategic standpoint, TOKYO ROSE operates as a long ranged special attacking stand that focuses on taking out enemies with absolute power and accurate precision. Think of it as the Sniper, if you will.

Despite the power, TOKYO ROSE is a glass cannon. It’s got abysmal defenses and it can be taken out in a few hits (especially if it’s a close ranged Stand that has a lot of physical power or needs to make physical contact in order to attack). It’s biggest weakness is that anything sharp be it spikes, swords, knives, anything sharp - can do a lot of harm to TOKYO ROSE. The only way to take down a Dragon is to cut off it’s head / to slay it entirely.

I think it should also go without mentioning that TOKYO ROSE is heavily based off the MonsterVerse version of King Ghidorah, in that each head has it’s own personality and way of thinking.

The Right Head; nicknamed ‘ze’ is the most calm and collected of the trio. It has an awareness of its own surroundings and displays the ability to form strategies - even communicating that with its Stand User.

The Middle Head; nicknamed ‘xe’ is the leader, the one that keeps the other heads on track when they’re in a fight. He acts out the orders that are given out by its Stand User. It is also the most aggressive in a fight.

The Left Head; nicknamed ‘ve’ is the curious and more playful one - although it’s playfulness can easily turn into aggression.

Also one of my favourite things about TOKYO ROSE is that it’s the type of stand that really works well with other stands too, especially if they happen to use an elemental power. For example TOKYO ROSE can borrow the flames of Magician’s Red to use in it’s own attacks, and can actually go along with a tag-team like strategy too! It leaves a lot of potential combinations for Taylor to work with - and the added use of teamwork can really make a difference in a life or death situation.

And.... that’s kinda it?? wow that took me almost forever to write because the moment I saw this in my inbox I HAD TO ANSWER IT- but i cannot thank you enough for sending this in because I have so many thoughts and ideas about Taylor - that I’ve only just scraped the surface! but thank you Kola for letting me gush about my s/i because I’ve put so much love and thought into her as a character and it would be a crime if I didn’t share it with anyone because I take a lot of care and pride in creating her!

[pyrten]

DAZAI OSAMU : QUICK CHARACTER STUDY

(At 3 AM in the morning and that's why it's messy, all over the place and generally, shit.)

Majority of the characters in BSD are morally grey, Dazai included. I'm unable to categorise characters into good or evil, which is what makes BSD really nice to watch.  

Majority of the instances, whenever I have an opinion on someone like Dazai, it's mainly based on their actions. I'll make an exception for his case because I believe he speaks the truth sometimes. 

It's seriously difficult to believe what someone like him says. His weapon is his intellect and his tongue. He could say this and do that instead. Obviously he isn't good at combat, but he could say something and have you on the hook.

He's cunning, sly and in general: a liar (sometimes). As for psychological manipulation… well, it's not something to be looked down upon since it's in our everyday lives.

DARK ERA

He has a more serious aura and was far more suicidal compared to ADA Dazai. He barely flinched when a bullet grazed his cheek. 

I won't even sugarcoat the fact that Dazai is an asshole. 

The way he treated Akutagawa is wrong. The training may have made him resilient, but his mental health isn't in an okay shape. In the end, he even upped and left him without an explanation (although, I think Akutagawa has an idea of why he left).  

Remember when he fired at the GSS captain? If I didn't count wrong, it was 13 shots (my dude over here desecrating a corpse). 

(I couldn't find the GIF of him shooting the corpse, so this is as close as I can get)

He does poke fun at Chuuya, and you can perhaps say that he does some good (but we've only seen a single good deed so far…).

He recognized that Chuuya was being manipulated by the Sheep and in his own way gave him a push. There was the part* when Shirase was talking and it zoomed in on Dazai, who had a wary, analyzing look on him. 

It's clear that the Sheep is quite dependent on him. They believe that Chuuya will be there to save them whenever they fuck up (ex. crossing the river to steal booze, when they know it's near the PM HQ, in result, getting a few of their members captured). They came looking for him to put it simply, beat up and save their comrades, which points towards the fact that they are using him for his ability. 

Shirase also said:

"People who hold more cards than others have a responsibility. Fulfill your responsibility as the one with the trump card called an ability."*

Which again, further points towards the fact that they are using him for his ability and somewhat guilt tripping him. 

Dazai later adds his own input.

"Amusing. You guys are truly amusing. He's by far the strongest among you, but he's like a sheep being stared down by wolves." 

Called out. 

It then changes to show Chuuya's face. Honestly he looks on guard, and I think he knows what they're trying to do, but it's a can of worms he would rather not open, y' know?  

Dazai then later says once more when Shirase is trying to convince Chuuya to kick the PM's ass.

"Give it a rest. He has the freedom to choose how he uses his ability. Even a child would understand that. There's no argument." 

And as a final attempt to convince Chuuya, he pulls the old guilt trip card, which Dazai and Chuuya ignore. 

"Don't forget, Chuuya! The Sheep who took you in when you had no identity and nowhere to go! 

When all of this is happening, Dazai knew Chuuya was being manipulated, and he also watered the seed of doubt with his actions, and in the end the Sheep turned their backs on Chuuya, which led to Chuuya joining the Port Mafia. 

I can say this was a small good deed, pulling Chuuya out, but the choice was Chuuya's and he just gave a push. 

ARMED DETECTIVE AGENCY

Dazai isn't a naturally kind and virtuous person, but he's trying, for Oda (oh boy).

The way he handled Kyoka's situation wasn't all rainbows and confetti. 

I have a feeling he's trying to look at the bigger picture, to save people (perhaps because he blames himself for Oda's death, but I'll set that aside temporarily due to the time), but his methods aren't... nice. Atsushi has gotten hurt multiple times, Akutagawa too. In some ways, I suppose I can understand some things are unavoidable, but still. 

Compared to how he treated Akutagawa, he's far better with Atsushi. He's treating him the way Oda treated him. 

Atsushi has a completely different mindset compared to Akutagawa. He's a selfless person, he fights injustice. If Dazai tried to treat him the way he treated Akutagawa, I can confirm that isn't gonna turn out good. 

Besides, he's trying to become a better person. That, and he owes Akutagawa an apology.

From this part onwards, these are all flash thoughts that I wrote quickly because I'm falling asleep by the minute.

FLASH THOUGHT #1 :

Now that's over with… I don't particularly have anything to add on. So I'm going to move onto… uh, how do I word this, facade?

I said above that his weapon is his intellect. It's clear that whatever he has on can be fake, or real. Y'know that goofy, playful Dazai we all know. 

He's probably able to control his every movement and actions. Like, I cannot imagine Dazai doing something ACCIDENTALLY. Imagine that, someone who can control his own heartbeat, doing something accidentally (unintentionally, he never meant to do it, yeah that would be surprising).

But then again he's human… despite being a strategic and tactical genius… so yes, him doing something on accident would be interesting to watch.

Now if he miscalculated or like mistaken, uh, like that time, with the hiker, BSD Season 3. Then, yes that's understandable. 

FLASH THOUGHT #2:

Mk… facade and accidents are covered… uh… I'll talk about the power he had when he was 14, Dark Era Dazai.

… He had enough sway in the mafia since he was 14 (correct me if I'm wrong). He was allowed to be the sole witness of the Boss's final wish. SOLE WITNESS. A young boy at the age of 14 was allowed to be the sole witness. 

He was considered to be the youngest executive in the Port Mafia. If so, then why didn't the other executives (during the reign of the Old Boss) fight over the choice to be the witness of the Boss's death other than Mori. Perhaps the Old Boss didn't have executives, but that's unlikely.  

Now, that's something.  

FLASH THOUGHT #3:

Talking about suicide… I think Dazai doesn't want to die, but he does. He's failed so many suicide attempts, some of them being sabotaged, but what about the others. 

Since Dazai didn't have anyone around his age constantly (save for Oda and Ango, but several years later… perhaps when he was 16, seeing how Oda and Dazai knew each other during the Dragon's Head Rush), he only had victories of his missions and such to comfort his loneliness.  

I think that it's practically ingrained in him. 

Dying means winning and losing. Your life is finished. 

If that's the case, dying would mean he lost (but won). It's conflicting and confusing as hell, I know ;-; . I'm trying to explain my thoughts the best I can - . 

When Chuuya came around, his loneliness was, um, calmed, a little. 

Oda died and gave him a reason to live.

I think he still feels a little lonely though.

That's the end. I'll be out like a light in about 3 mins so I'll just, drop a GIF and go before I start pressing anything on accident.

Yep, okay, bye bye.

oh, I forgot the hashtags, um .

Hashtags added.

Good night. :D